- does the concentration of the iso matter? does 50% vs 90% iso effect the end product? if not, i'm guessing that higher is better, as it will evaporate quicker?

- are aluminum baking trays fine for the surface on which it'll evaporate (in terms of the material, aluminum, being ok)?

- how do i know the iso is fully evaporated, as not to be unsafe to consume?

- can the leftover goo be preserved for a while. i know with tea, it will go bad soon after making it, but the powder itself can last for a long time. what about the goo from alcohol extractions?

- to quicken the evaporation, can i put in the alkaloid-soaked iso in the oven?

PepperSocks

02-12-2009, 19:33

does the concentration of the iso matter? does 50% vs 90% iso effect the end product? if not, i'm guessing that higher is better, as it will evaporate quicker?

Higher the better. For better extraction and quicker evaporation. I just use 99.9% methanol.

- are aluminum baking trays fine for the surface on which it'll evaporate (in terms of the material, aluminum, being ok)?

I'd be leary of using metal pans. You'll be scraping it up with a razor blade later on and you don't want to scrape metal. The standard for this stuff is a Pyrex glass baking dish (the kind for brownies).

- how do i know the iso is fully evaporated, as not to be unsafe to consume?

It'll be crusty. I wouldn't worry too much about it; you can consume small small amount of ISO without it being toxic. Some people drink it for the buzz; it's a bit more toxic than ethanol but not drastically so.

- can the leftover goo be preserved for a while. i know with tea, it will go bad soon after making it, but the powder itself can last for a long time. what about the goo from alcohol extractions?

If you put it in the freezer it should last forever. If it's dry powder it doesn't even have to be frozen. Mescaline is very stable.

- to quicken the evaporation, can i put in the alkaloid-soaked iso in the oven?

No, no, no, no, no.

I learned this one the hard way. :\

I was evaporating my methanol extraction and to speed it up I got the bright idea to put it in the oven on low setting on convection. Of course as it evaporated the fume built up inside the oven. I guess a spark from the electric motor powering the convection fan ignited it and the oven door blasted open really hard. It nearly blew the door off the hinges.

The pan of methanol with the precious mescaline was in flames and it was starting to spread to the wood trim above the oven.

I grabbed the fire extinguisher and blasted it. That fire extinguisher dust gets EVERYWHERE. It took me 4 hours to clean everything up.

And my methanol in the pan was completely full of that extinguisher powder. My extraction that I had worked so hard on was taken outside and dumped.

Don't put it in the oven. Just position a fan so there is airflow going over the surface of the liquid.